A man of Antoni\u2019s appearance, wearing a red varsity jacket, was caught on video posted on the conservative social network Parler walking through the crowd of Trump supporters massed outside the west side of the Capitol about 10 minutes before the mob broke through police lines and into the building.<\/p>\n
That video, archived by ProPublica<\/a>, shows the man in what appears to be a varsity jacket with the University of Pennsylvania crest on it walking away from that entrance to the Capitol at about 1.51 pm that day.<\/p>\n According to NBC News, the man also appears in other footage recorded on the east side of the Capitol building during the riot.<\/p>\n Approached for comment by NBC News, the White House confirmed that the man in the images was Antoni.<\/p>\n \u201cThese pictures show EJ Antoni, a bystander to the events of January 6th, observing and then leaving the Capitol area,\u201d White House spokesperson Taylor Rogers wrote to NBC News. \u201cEJ was in town for meetings, and it is wrong and defamatory to suggest EJ engaged in anything inappropriate or illegal.\u201d<\/p>\n Antoni, who attended a Catholic high school and then St Charles Borromeo Seminary in the Philadelphia suburbs, likely has family links to the University of Pennsylvania, which is also Trump\u2019s alma mater.<\/p>\n The economist\u2019s full name, given on a commencement program<\/a> from Northern Illinois University, is Erwin J Antoni III. Graduates of the University of Pennsylvania include<\/a> an Erwin J Antoni, who played varsity baseball, basketball and soccer, from the class of 1948, and an Erwin J Antoni Jr, who graduated in 1978.<\/p>\n As Americans try to learn more about Antoni, given the sudden prominence of the previously obscure economist, his taste in art has also been a subject of online discussion.<\/p>\n In a podcast appearance<\/a> in 2023, Antoni acknowledged that a painting of a battleship<\/a> behind him during the recording was from the fleet of Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n Asked by the podcast host if the ship was the Bismarck, which engaged in naval battles with British forces in 1941, Antoni said it was. \u201cThe Bismarck, yep, in all his glory,\u201d Antoni said.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A 2023 podcast appearance by EJ Antoni in which he acknowledged that the painting behind him was of the Bismarck, a battleship from the fleet of Nazi Germany.<\/p>\n Antoni used the same painting as the backdrop for subsequent media appearances during<\/a> and after<\/a> the 2024 election campaign.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n A 2024 interview with economist EJ Antoni.Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a021.25 EDT<\/p>\n Key events<\/p>\n Show key events only<\/p>\n Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature<\/p>\n Trump signs executive order to cut regulations on commercial space firms, boosting Musk and Bezos<\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/strong> signed an executive order<\/a> on Wednesday to cut regulations for the commercial space firms, like those owned by billionaires Elon Musk<\/strong> and Jeff Bezos<\/strong>, speed the licensing process and eliminate environmental reviews for launches and reentry vehicles.<\/p>\n The order directs the transportation secretary, former reality TV star and Fox News host Sean Duffy<\/strong>, to \u201celiminate outdated, redundant, or overly restrictive rules for launch and reentry vehicles,\u201d according to a White House fact sheet<\/a>.<\/p>\n Trump also called for Duffy to \u201creevaluate, amend, or rescind\u201d Part 450, a section of the Federal Aviation Administration\u2019s licensing process for launches.<\/p>\n The executive order could be a boon to Musk\u2019s SpaceX, which is planning test flights of its Starship rocket. Musk, SpaceX\u2019s CEO, donated heavily to Trump\u2019s campaign and served as a special government employee at the start of his second term, helping to degrade and dismantle multiple government agencies.<\/p>\n Bezos, whose firm Blue Origin also stands to gain from the cut in regulation, intervened late in the 2024 election campaign to bar his newspaper, the Washington Post, from publishing an endorsement of Trump\u2019s rival, Kamala Harris<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Trump revokes Biden’s executive order to promote competition in US economy without explaining why<\/p>\n The White House announced<\/a> on Wednesday that Donald Trump<\/strong> has revoked an executive order issued by his predecessor, Joe Biden<\/strong>, in 2021 which made it government policy to promote competition throughout the US economy.<\/p>\n Unlike many of Trump\u2019s orders, this one, which ended 72 federal initiatives to fight corporate monopolies and aid workers and consumers, was released without any publicity at all.<\/p>\n There was no televised signing ceremony in the Oval Office, and no written explanation as to why the initiatives to protect consumers and workers were ended.<\/p>\n The initiatives brought to a quiet end by Trump\u2019s order on Wednesday included<\/a> government efforts to: lower the cost of hearing aids, by allowing them to be sold over the counter; make it easier for airline passengers to get refunds for shoddy baggage handling or in-flight wifi; make it easier for workers to change jobs, by banning or limiting <\/strong>noncompete agreements on employees; guarantee farmers, motorists and iPhone users the right to repair their own vehicles or devices without voiding warranty protections.<\/p>\n Biden\u2019s order also directed the agriculture department to make it easier for cow, pig and poultry farmers to sue slaughterhouses who refused to pay them agreed upon rates and asked the Federal Trade Commission to establish rules for internet providers and tech companies\u2019 use of data.<\/p>\n Lina Khan<\/strong>, then chair of the Federal Trade Commission, called it<\/a> \u201can important cross-government effort to re-center antimonopoly policy as a key tool for promoting a fair and thriving economy\u201d that empowered the FTC \u201cto address unchecked market concentration and promote fair competition\u201d.<\/p>\n When Biden\u2019s order was issued, Senator Elizabeth Warren<\/strong> wrote<\/a> that it included \u201cmany of the reforms I\u2019ve been pushing to increase competition in the U.S. economy\u201d and \u201cputs power back in the hands of consumers and workers and reorients the economy towards everyday Americans instead of those of ultra-wealthy corporations and their executives.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.57 EDT<\/p>\n Newsom teases Thursday redistricting announcement in mock Trump style<\/p>\n California governor Gavin Newsom<\/strong>, who revels in trolling Donald Trump<\/strong> on social media, just used the president\u2019s bizarre writing style in a post on X to promote a news conference on his state\u2019s plan to counter Texas gerrymandering, scheduled for Thursday at 11:30am Pacific Time.<\/p>\n Here\u2019s the post<\/a> in full, which is clearly intended as a parody of Trump\u2019s hyperbolic, all-caps style:<\/p>\n HUGE \u201cHISTORIC\u201d EVENT \u2014 THURSDAY 11:30AM PACIFIC IN LOS ANGELES!!! A \u201cBEAUTIFUL RALLY\u201d \/ PRESS CONFERENCE WITH GAVIN CHRISTOPHER NEWSOM & STRONG DEMS. DEMOCRATS WILL DESTROY GREG ABBOTT\u2019S \u201cTOTALLY RIGGED MAPS.\u201d TREMENDOUS WORK IS BEING DONE. DONALD TRUMP (THE CRIMINAL PRESIDENT) GET READY FOR THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PAYBACK YOU\u2019VE EVER SEEN!!! COULD BE THE WORST DAY OF YOUR LIFE AS YOUR PRESIDENCY ENDS (DEMS RETAKE CONGRESS!). AMERICA WILL BE LIBERATED \u2014 \u201cLIBERATION DAY\u201d MANY ARE CALLING IT!!! THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! \u2014 GCN<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Donald Trump<\/strong> has named David Rosner<\/strong> chair of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (Ferc), where he has served since June 2024 as a commissioner, the agency announced<\/a> on Wednesday.<\/p>\n The appointment of Rosner, a Democrat whose nomination to the commission was supported by then Senator Joe Manchin<\/strong>, is expected to be temporary. In June, Trump nominated two Republicans to the commission who are awaiting Senate confirmation.<\/p>\n Ferc, which has a maximum of five members, regulates the power grid, liquefied natural gas projects and interstate transportation of oil and natural gas. It currently has just three members, after Mark Christie<\/strong>, a Republican, left last week.<\/p>\n In June, Trump nominated Laura Swett<\/strong> to take Christie\u2019s place and the president is expected to name her to become chair once the Senate confirms her.<\/p>\n If both of Trump\u2019s nomines are confirmed by the Republican-controlled Senate, Ferc would then have a 3-2 Republican majority.<\/p>\n Rosner, who has worked in energy in and out of government for two decades, said he was honored to be named.<\/p>\n Last year, the environmental group Friends of the Earth ran a campaign<\/a> calling on the Senate, then controlled by Democrats, to block Rosner\u2019s nomination, calling him \u201ca paid cheerleader for the LNG boom\u201d.<\/p>\n Trump has said he wants to open pipelines to bring natural gas from Pennsylvania\u2019s gas fields to states in the north-east. The projects have been opposed by states.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.20 EDT<\/p>\n Illinois judge rejects Texas attorney general’s request to order arrest of Texas Democrats<\/p>\n A judge in Adams County, Illinois just rejected a request from the Texas attorney general, Ken Paxton<\/strong>, to order the arrest of Democrats from the Texas state legislature who left Texas to block a Republican plan to redraw congressional districts.<\/p>\n In a petition<\/a> filed last Thursday, Paxton had asked the court in a conservative county that overwhelmingly voted for Donald Trump<\/strong> to honor so-called quorum warrants \u2013 civil arrest orders issued by Dustin Burrows, the Republican speaker of the Texas state house \u2013 and order Illinois police officers to \u201ceffectuate the civil arrest\u201d of the Democratic lawmakers.<\/p>\n In the ruling<\/a>, which was posted online by Aar\u00f3n Torres of the Dallas Morning News, the judge ruled that the Illinois circuit court \u201cdoes not have the inherent power to direct Illinois law enforcement officers, or to allow the Sergeant-at-Arms of the House of Representatives of the State of Texas, or any officer appointed by her, to execute Texas civil Quorum Warrants upon nonresidents temporarily located in the State of Illinois\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a018.21 EDT<\/p>\n Federal judge strikes down Trump rule that allows religious exemption for birth control coverage<\/p>\n Today, a US federal judge struck down rules from 2018 that allow employers to not provide insurance coverage for birth control on religious or moral grounds, Reuters is reporting.<\/p>\n During Donald Trump\u2019s<\/strong> first term in office, the supreme court ruled that employers were eligible for religious exemptions when it comes to providing health insurance that covers women\u2019s birth control.<\/p>\n The Affordable Care Act<\/strong>, commonly known as Obamacare, requires employers to offer health insurance with access to contraception, but stipulates that they can apply for religious exemptions. The 2018 rules, however, offered a blanket exemption.<\/p>\n According to Reuters, Judge Wendy Beetlestone in Philadelphia said there was a gap between how vast the exception is, and the number of employers who would need it.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a017.18 EDT<\/p>\n Planned Parenthood clinics treated people who rely on Medicaid at more than 1.5m visits in 2024, new research published on Wednesday shows.<\/strong><\/p>\n But the reproductive health giant\u2019s ability to treat those patients is now in jeopardy due to Republicans\u2019 efforts to \u201cdefund\u201d Planned Parenthood<\/a> by kicking it out of Medicaid.<\/p>\n Donald Trump\u2019s tax and spending package<\/a>, passed in July<\/a>, bans Planned Parenthood from receiving reimbursements from Medicaid<\/strong>, the US government\u2019s insurance program for low-income people. After Planned Parenthood sued over the ban, a judge temporarily stopped it from taking effect<\/a>.<\/p>\n If the ban moves forward, experts warn that it could cripple the entirety of the US healthcare social safety net.<\/p>\n Republicans have long sought to defund Planned Parenthood over the organization\u2019s commitment to providing abortions. But Planned Parenthood does not rely on Medicaid to fund its abortion provision as it is already illegal to use federal dollars<\/strong>, including Medicaid, to pay for the vast majority of abortions. The 1.5m visits documented in Wednesday\u2019s research paper, which was published in the medical journal Jama, only include visits for reasons other than abortion.<\/p>\n \u201cPlanned Parenthood has filled a very important role in the reproductive healthcare safety net for people living on low incomes,\u201d said Kari White, executive and scientific director at Resound Research for Reproductive Health. White was the lead author on the research paper released on Wednesday. \u201cOther providers have counted on them to do so. They just don\u2019t have the capacity to step in and fill the place that Planned Parenthood<\/a> has had in the safety net.\u201d<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n The state department<\/strong> has approved potential sales of munitions, precision bombs and precision rockets to Nigeria, according to a statement from the Pentagon. The estimated cost totals $346 million.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Texas Democrats hold press conference in Chicago<\/p>\n Several Texas Democratic lawmakers are now speaking about their redistricting fight alongside Indiana Democrats. They\u2019re joining the legislators to push back against the president\u2019s push for Indiana governor Mike Braun<\/strong> to redraw the state\u2019s congressional map \u2013\u00a0in a similar vein to Texas governor Greg Abbott<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Today, state representative Gene Wu,<\/strong> who is also chair of the Texas House Democrats, said that \u201cwe need more people to join us\u201d.<\/p>\n He added that if Texas Republicans continue to \u201cblock the will of the people\u201d Democrats will make to \u201cnullify their actions\u201d.<\/p>\n A number of Indiana Democratic lawmakers said that they stand in solidarity with their Texas counterparts. \u201cWe need to support them and stand with them, otherwise our people will be subjected to ever changing districts, none of which are representative,\u201d said Indiana state representative Ed DeLaney<\/strong>.<\/p>\n Share<\/a>Here’s a recap of the day so far<\/p>\n At the Kennedy Center today,<\/strong> Donald Trump announced that he would host this year\u2019s honors himself<\/strong> \u2013\u00a0scheduled for December. But some of the biggest news came out of the far-reaching press conference he held after announcing this year\u2019s honorees (which include \u2018Rocky\u2019 star and fervent Trump supporter Sylvester Stallone<\/strong>).<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Trump promised \u2018very severe consequences\u2019 if Vladimir Putin doesn\u2019t agree to ceasefire at their Friday meeting in Alaska. <\/strong>He didn\u2019t, however, elaborate on what those penalties will be. He also floated the idea of a trilateral summit with Volodymyr Zelenskyy<\/a> \u201calmost immediately\u201d<\/strong> after his individual meeting with Putin.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The president said that he\u2019s eyeing an extension of the initial 30-day limit for the federal takeover of the DC Metropolitan Police. <\/strong>\u201cI don\u2019t want to call national emergency. If I have to I will. But I think the Republicans in Congress will approve this pretty much unanimously,\u201d Trump said. He added that any discussions about DC statehood are \u201cridiculous\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cunacceptable\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n When it comes to the surge of federal law enforcement on DC streets, a White House official said 43 arrests were made on Tuesday night<\/strong> \u2013twice the total of the previous evening<\/strong>. More than 1,450 officers participated, about half of which were from the city\u2019s police department, while only 30 national guard troops were deployed of the roughly 800 that defense officials have said are expected to arrive for the mission.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The city\u2019s Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser<\/strong>, has sought a cordial working relationship with the president since his return to the White House, but changed her tone on Tuesday, urging residents and voters during a social media event \u201cto protect our home rule and get to the other side of this guy and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push\u201d<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n At his Kennedy Center appearance today, the president continued to disparage Federal Reserve chair Jerome Powell<\/strong>. \u201cHe\u2019s truly incompetent,\u201d Trump said. He went on to reveal that he\u2019ll be naming the nomination for Powell\u2019s replacement \u201csometime in the next week\u201d. He\u2019s down to \u201cthree of four names,\u201d he added. A reminder that Powell\u2019s term ends in May<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n Additionally, on the foreign diplomacy front, the president took part in a virtual meeting with Zelenskyy and European leaders today<\/strong> which the German chancellor described as \u201cvery good\u201d<\/strong> and \u201cconstructive\u201d<\/strong>. Zelenskyy confirmed that Trump would call him straight after the Friday meeting with Putin<\/strong> to talk it through details.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n And finally, for now at least, a federal appeals court lifted<\/strong> a lower court\u2019s injunction that required the state department to continue making payments to foreign aid contractors<\/strong>. In a 2-1 decision, the appellate panel effectively granted a Trump victory \u2013\u00a0allowing the administration to cut billions in congressionally appropriated funding for foreign assistance.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.46 EDT<\/p>\n We can soon expect to hear from Texas Democrats<\/strong> in Chicago, who will join several Indiana Democratic lawmakers who are pushing back against the president\u2019s pressure campaign to redraw their own state\u2019s congressional map.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a014.44 EDT<\/p>\n White House says dozens arrested in DC as mayor warns of \u2018authoritarian push\u2019 The White House said on Wednesday that law enforcement made dozens of arrests in Washington DC<\/a> overnight after federal agents and national guard troops fanned out across the city as part of Donald Trump<\/strong>\u2019s campaign to quell a \u201ccrime crisis\u201d that local officials say does not exist<\/strong>.<\/p>\n The national guard arrived on the National Mall late on Tuesday<\/a>, while agents from the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), FBI and Department of Homeland Security were seen in several neighborhoods , sometimes accompanied by local police officers.<\/p>\n Video circulating<\/a> on local media showed police and federal agents arresting at least one person that evening in Columbia Heights, home to the city\u2019s largest Hispanic population. Other videos showed traffic stops near Kennedy street in Northwest Washington, which in years past has been the site of gang activity.<\/p>\n A White House official said to expect a \u201csignificantly higher\u201d presence of national guard troops over the days to come, as well as round-the-clock patrols by federal agents, which have thus far only been present in the evenings. The administration argues the steps are necessary to fight what Trump has called an \u201cout of control\u201d crime problem in the nation\u2019s capital, but local officials have disputed that characterization.<\/p>\n Data shows<\/a> that crime rates plunged last year to the lowest levels in three decades<\/strong>, though the capital does have higher rates of some violent crimes compared with cities with similar populations.<\/p>\n Democratic lawmakers have condemned Trump\u2019s incursion as an authoritarian move intended to distract his supporters from outrage over his refusal to make public files related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein<\/a><\/strong>, a one-time friend<\/a> who has become a fixation of conspiracy theorists.<\/p>\n The Democratic mayor, Muriel Bowser<\/strong>, has sought a cordial relationship with Trump since his return to the White House, but changed her tone on Tuesday, urging residents and voters during a social media event \u201cto protect our city, to protect our autonomy, to protect our home rule and get to the other side of this guy and make sure we elect a Democratic House so that we have a backstop to this authoritarian push\u201d.<\/p>\n A White House official said a total of 43 arrests were made on Tuesday night<\/strong>, twice the total of the previous evening. More than 1,450 officers participated, about half of which were from the city\u2019s police department, while only 30 national guard troops were deployed of the roughly 800 that defense officials have said are expected to arrive for the mission.<\/p>\n The White House said a total of 19 teams of officers from various federal agencies are in the city \u201cto promote public safety and arrest violent offenders\u201d, while the national guard will <\/strong>\u201cprotect federal assets, provide a safe environment for law enforcement officers to make arrests, and deter violent crime with a visible law enforcement presence\u201d.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.47 EDT<\/p>\n Ice conducting immigration enforcement operations with police and other federal agencies in DC \u2013 report<\/p>\n More than 40 Ice agents<\/strong> from Homeland Security Investigations<\/strong> (HSI, which does long-term investigations into transnational crimes) are working with the DC police<\/strong>, the Drug Enforcement Administration<\/strong> and other federal agencies this week as part of Trump\u2019s takeover of the capital to mitigate crime, NBC News is reporting<\/a>.<\/p>\n Per NBC\u2019s report<\/a>, \u201cthey can make arrests of citizens with no nexus to immigration violations\u201d. \u201cYesterday, HSI worked with other agencies in an operation near the DC Metro in Union Station; its agents told NBC News that they were not there for anything immigration related, but were surveying busy areas around DC.\u201d<\/p>\n Separately, Enforcement Removal Operations<\/strong> (ERO, which carries out operations like arresting immigrants for immigration crimes and detaining and deporting them) is increasing its operations in DC, according to NBC. The news outlet reports that \u201cthere was a \u2018targeted enforcement operation\u2019 to arrest immigrants in a Home Depot parking lot in DC yesterday, and there have been reports of other immigrant arrests in the DC area.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe President was clear, he will make DC safe and beautiful again, and ICE is proud to be a part of the solution alongside our federal law enforcement partners,\u201d an agency spokesperson told NBC about the operations. The agency is conducting both immigration enforcement operations and undertaking efforts to fight crime in support of the US Marshals Service<\/strong>, they said.<\/p>\n They said the operations were intelligence-based, and the efforts at Union Station and the Home Depot resulted in arrests of criminal undocumented immigrants convicted of assault, theft and gang activity.<\/p>\n \u201cWe will support the re-establishment of law and order and public safety in DC, which includes taking drug dealers, gang members, and criminal aliens off city streets,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.21 EDT<\/p>\n Trump defense official led thinktank that spread lies about Tren de Aragua<\/p>\n Jos\u00e9 Olivares<\/p>\n A senior official appointed to the defense department led a thinktank that promoted fake news about the Venezuelan<\/strong> Tren de Aragua<\/strong> (TdA) gang, according to InSight Crime<\/a>, a non-profit analyzing organized crime.<\/p>\n Joseph Humire<\/strong> was appointed this summer to be the head of policy focusing on the western hemisphere within the office of the under secretary of defense for policy. He was previously the executive director of a conservative thinktank focused on global security. Humire\u2019s appointment comes as the Trump administration<\/a> is ramping up its aggressive strategy against organized crime in Latin America and the Venezuelan government, which it accuses of working with TdA.<\/p>\n Under Humire\u2019s leadership, the Center for a Secure Free Society thinktank published the \u201cTdA Activity Monitor\u201d, tracking alleged crimes by accused members of the gang throughout the US. According to InSight Crime, at least five event entries in the tracker appeared to have been \u201ccompletely fabricated\u201d<\/strong>. InSight Crime found zero basis for the false entries<\/strong>, with local police departments telling researchers the purported crimes were nonexistent. InSight Crime analyzed more than 90 of the entries, finding many relied on unverified sources<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cSome incidents are included multiple times, inflating the gang\u2019s perceived presence and activities,\u201d researchers found.<\/p>\n Share<\/a><\/p>\n Updated at\u00a013.07 EDT<\/p>\n Trump says he can’t convince Putin to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine Asked if he was confident he could get Putin<\/strong> to stop targeting civilians in Ukraine<\/a>, Trump<\/strong> said:<\/p>\n Well, I\u2019ll tell you what. I\u2019ve had that conversation with him. I\u2019ve had a lot of good conversations with him. Then I go home and I see that a rocket hit a nursing home, or a rocket hit an apartment building and people are laying dead in the street.<\/p>\n\n
![\"Carter](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Carter_Sherman.png\")
Carter Sherman<\/p>\n\n
![\"Chris](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Chris_Stein.png\")
Chris Stein<\/p>\n![\"Jakub](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Jakub_Krupa.png\")
Jakub Krupa<\/p>\n\n